▲ Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), a Korean American and chair of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, speaks during the National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day commemoration event at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in this file photo taken on July 23, 2025. (Yonhap)
▲ U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) speaks as he visits Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul as part of a delegation of U.S. lawmakers in this file photo taken March 31, 2026. (Yonhap)

US lawmaker-Yonhap symposium

U.S. lawmaker calls for S. Korea-U.S.-Japan joint deterrence against N. Korea, China, Russia

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- A Korean American congresswoman on Friday called for closer cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan to build joint deterrence amid an "unprecedented" moment of deepening ties between North Korea, China and Russia.

Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) made the call in a video message during the Korean Peninsula Symposium, hosted by Yonhap News Agency, highlighting a military parade in Beijing last September attended by the leaders of China, North Korea and Russia.

"The world watched as Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin and other authoritarian leaders stood shoulder to shoulder," she said. "That image should serve as a wake-up call."

"This is an unprecedented moment that demands strong U.S. leadership and close coordination with like-minded allies, like partners South Korea, Japan, to build effective joint deterrence."

The congresswoman said the trilateral partnership between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan has become one of the "most important strategic relationships" in the Indo-Pacific region in the face of North Korean threats.

"Through stronger defense cooperation, intelligence sharing, economic coordination, and people-to-people ties, our three democracies are helping strengthen regional security and stability," she said.

Her remarks come as South Korea has pushed for closer trilateral security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan amid advancing North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

Kim serves as the chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's East Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee.

In a separate audio message, U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) described his country's ties with South Korea as "an important key relationship" not just for the stability of East Asia and the Korean Peninsula but also for the "future of the world."

Bera, who co-chairs the Congressional Korea Caucus, said he wants to "apologize for the embarrassment" that stemmed from the detention of hundreds of South Koreans in Georgia last year in an immigration sweep over visa issues.

"That should never happen to a friend, and we are working together as Democrats and Republicans to resolve this issue," he said, adding South Korean companies should be able to bring their workers if they are making major investments in his country.

"I am optimistic about the future of the U.S.-Korea relationship, about Korea's role in helping propel a 21st century that hopefully is peaceful, prosperous and kind for the next generation," he said.

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